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REPUBLICAN AND UNION 

(H)^^ VENT ION. 

KOK 11 IK 

SIXTH (;()\(rllh>M():S.\l. i)i.s|j{u;i. 

IIKI.Ii 

Bleecker Buildings, October 14, 1862. 

WITH TIIK sl"KKilIh> l»K 

>i.\ri. \!!; ^()l^s^:Y Km*. 

IIm CONKLINCi. 

(11 DANA, Khh.. 

Hon I>AAC DAYTON, 
IIKMIV \V SMITH. Ivsu 
Nov. DAVID i; .IA<H'I*^ AM. 
M - 'HAill.!'"^ ^ <l>KV«'Vi: 



i»Uiu-i)orl; ; 

• MAlTKinoN <t I'AI.'KKK. PinNTKIt>. 7f. M\II>KN I.ANK 



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'i nil. 



SIXTH CONGRESSIONAL COKffiNTlON 



i lie Krjiui)li(:iii :iu I I unm CuiiN iniioii lur tljc ^ixth Cuu- 
^'ifssional I^istiict, t'luluacin;; thf Ninth, Fifteenth, and Six- 
t4'enth Wardit, assembled at the Ulecckcr Buihlings on thu 
everjiiii: nf th»- 14th "f Ortoltfr. 'H««' following nametl gentle- 
men r..!n[iMSi'.l tin- < '"M v<liti'»n : 

nfU Ward. 

lA.MKs w i;(M, : <;k(»k<;k v. mkrklek. 

AS\ HITMAN .lAMKS W. FAIIH. 

loIlN W. I'.KISTKK AI.ON/O HUSS. 

SLNCLAni TorSKV. 
FS/ttcnth ll'dnf. 
«IIAU1.KS A. DANA,' KKA.STl\S «'. HKNEDICT. 

IIAKVEY T. CLEVELAND, H. W. CLAKKE. 
M \i:SIf AT.T, 1? r.LAKK. .IIKKII lU'LL. 

W I 111 AM N. iJLAKEMAN. 

nth Ward. 
men (lAKDNKK, WILLLVM II. lULL. 

.InllN LINDSAY. ALKXANDKIl M-LEuD. 

SAMIKL H H VANCE, DAVID K -T \QI'ES. 
'lEOIUiEROSS. 

Ihr '."livtiiti-i -si hy tl 'I ul >iiiflair 

Tousey, Ex'i , ;h ' I Il-n. ^ r McLorHl as 

Secretary 

The roll h;i\ii,:^ iiciu lallcl aiui liic .scvuiui ;id being 

rMijiplctc, (Charles A. Dana, Esij., n uninated !■ i letlerick 

A. Conkling as the eiindidate of the Republican and L'nion Party 
lor the Sixth C()ii<;ressioiiaI District. 

Mr. D. 11. Jaciiues nominated William C. Kussell, Esq., for 
the position, and Mr. J. W. Farr noniinatcil Henry W. Smith, 
Esq. 



4 

On niotion of Mr. .Tircli Rnl1< tlio CoiivtMitioii proceeded to a 
formal ])allot. 

Ou the first ballot each candidate received seven votes. 

On the second ballot Mr. Conkling received nineteen votes 
and William C. Russell two, when, on motion of Mr. Vance, the 
nomination of Frederick A. Conkling Avas made unanimous. 

It was then moved that the Convention proceed in a body to 
Mr. Conkling's residence. No. 103 Tenth Street, and notify 
him of his nomination. 

A procession was then formed, upwards of one hundred and 
fifty persons accompanying the delegates, and marched up the 
Sixth Avenue to Tenth Street. 

Mr. Conkling, having been notified of his nomination, ap- 
peared upon the balcony of his residence, attended by the offi- 
cers of the Convention, Messrs. Dana, Bull, Smith, Jacques, 
Smith, Spencer, Aid. Dayton, and others, and was greeted with 
the most hearty applause. 

SixcLAiii TousEY, as the organ of the Convention, tendered 
the nomination. He said : 

The Republican and Union Convention for the Sixth Congres- 
sional District, at a very harmonious meeting held at the Bleecker 
Buildings, this evening, unanimously nominated the present 
incumbent for re-election as their representative in the Congress 
of the United States. 

(Rounds of cheers followed, at the conclusion of which Mr. 
Conkling responded as follows :) 

SPEECH OF THE Ilox. F. A CONKLING. 

Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen of the Convention : I accept 
your nomination Avith a grateful sense of the honor which it con- 
fers ; and to you, felloAV citizens, I return my Avarmest thanks 
for this demonstration of your confidence and regard. 

Our country is engaged in a desolating Avar. The govern- 
ment is using every effort in its power to crush out the greatest 
and the guiltiest rebellion the world has ever seen. Under 
these circumstances Ave are entering upon a canvass of transcen- 
dant importance. The attitude assumed b}^ those of the Demo- 
cratic leaders Avho place their party above the interest of the 
countrA^, and especially by the able and plausible man Avhom they 



Ikivc |>ut in iioiniiiali<*ii fur the oHice of < iuveriiur. leaves to us the 
nake«l isj^uc whether the government shall he sumninetl, or wheth- 
er it shall !)»• crijipleil an«l euih:irrasse«l so as tuodinpel it to niakf 

an i;^nuniini«.)U.s |ica«'e with tr-'- •' -"' 1. i ; ' •.. it the •roveni- 

iiient «»f ihewhole count rv *>\ -niemhernient 

nf uur national I'nion. As an iieuh.« v[' erushin<; the 

rehellion, the I'n')«i«leiit of the I .^lates on the *22«1 ilay i>f 

Septeinlter hi"*t, issue«l his ppKrlamation, in whieh he said, that 
<>n thf first <lay of January, in tlie year of our liord, one 
ihousaml ei;;ht humlrel and .nixty thret*, all persons held i\^ 
slaves within any State, «»r any clesij^nated part of n State, the 
people whereof shall then ite in rehellitm apiinst the I'niteil 
States, shall be then thenecforward ami forever free, (Enthusi- 
astic eheerin;:.) and the executive jjoverntnent of the Unitcil 
Stales, includin;; the military and naval aiithoriticft ther<Nif, will 
reeo;rni/.e and maintain the freedom of said persons, ami will do 
no act, or arts to repress sucii persons or any of fh**?!! in nnv 
••(forts they may make for their aftual fi' 

No one can fail to sw in &• * m.- i i.-i'niii :i 
I>owerfn! in'*f»ntiv*' to th** ro''<-' . rofnrn fo *hr\r nl' 

anr«- 

Now, ;_'fiiti' iinii I .<• "iiii >ii>ii i"i ill' i/<'"]iM' III iiH'ir >• i\< i' 

capacity to determine, is whether the government shall )>•■ 
tained in this attitude. The President says, that ''hereafter, ns 
In'retofoic. the war will Itc J ! ■ ' • •' ' * i»f practically 

icstorinj^ the i'utistilutitinni government of 

the I'nitcd States and the people thereof, in those States in which 
it is. or may he suspended or ' I.'" It may well be a 

t|Uestioii whether. und«T the re- ml delejjaled powers of 

the general government, the President eould go farther than to 
resort to this militarv necessity. Hut we cannot shut our 
eves to the fnct tli:it if till- KelicKs still pursue their b|o«Mly 
treason, this great Prindamation <»f Freedom may bring'with it the 
'.'reatest blessing to the whole country through all coining linn" 
It may not only insure the utter overthrow of this rebellion 
l»ut prevent all futuic rebellions, i>y annihilating the chief corner 
stone of rebellion — negro slavery, ^(ireat cheering.) It now 
prevents any opportunity of foreign intervention, by rallying lo 
oiir sujiport tile nationalities of all Europe. It may reniov<- 
'Vniii niir national iiaiiic and ciiar:ictei\ the stain and plague >|>ot 



6 

that has made us blush in every country of the civilized world. 
And, gentlemen, it will secure, in my humble judgment, the bene- 
diction of Heaven upon our beloved country, by striking the fet- 
ters from the limbs of three and a half millions of our fellow men, 
(Cheers,) restoring them to social and individual morality, and 
the blessings of the domestic and family state, converting them 
into so many millions of consumers as well as producers, in a 
multiplied ratio, of the comforts, the luxuries, and the ornaments 
of home and happiness and freedom. 

There can be no success in putting down this rebellion and 
conquering an honorable peace if we allow the responsible and 
conspicuous places of ijublic trust to be held by those who do 
not sympathize Avith the policy of the Government, who do not 
enter cordially into its plans, who come with a laggard step to 
its aid, and whose political interests and aspirations will be pro- 
moted by its defeat. 

The attempt to distinguish between the administration and 
the government, at a time like this, is altogether too transparent 
a fallacy to mislead sensible men. We sometimes, when speak- 
ing of the national organization, or form of executive, call it the 
government, but when speaking of the conduct of public afiairs, 
there can be no government but those who administer it. An 
attack upon the administration charged with the government, is 
an attack upon the actual existing government itself, and can 
have no effect but to hinder its action and to prevent the suc- 
cessful conduct of public affairs. 

We can hardly hope to triumph in this fearful struggle if we 
allow our great state to pursue a course which will break down 
the confidence of the people in that Government which must con- 
quer a peace or there will be no peace — a course which will shake 
the confidence of the holders of the public stocks, which cannot 
be kept at any thing like present prices, unless the government 
be sustained. To the end that we may put down armed rebellion 
in the hostile states, we must overcome the no less dangerous foes 
that lurk every where in the loyal states — that support disloj^al 
newspapers — that shout their applause at speeches made to en- 
courage disloyalty, and to give new heart and hope to our ene- 
mies — that denounce, and carp, and shake the head at every ex- 
ercise of that peaceful use of the military power, by the civil 



aiitli"! :' V. A»iin.ii ai"'ii"- ii.»> *;i\(.i, aici rail save us iVom M'xkIv 
uprisitiL's against the govcrtnnciil — n power «lcclare(l to be un- 
(onstitiitionnl only by traitors in disguise — by such us once ilo 
«'lare<l Mr. Jeffcrs4»n and Mr. Ma<lison and (tenoral Jar! i 
to he acting in <'<^in«*tnTi» and Ha-jrant violntinn of flip Cnii^ • 
lion and tlic Li« « 

Mr. JvP _'s were ih'ilarcd. in pubiic un.ctiiig> 

of "conj*- IHrert iuvattiouH oj thv tuttilifis/icii 

principh-n of civil littrrty^ and »;/' the expvest jtrovisiona of 
fJi, /"..«>/»*/»'/■..;/ • • • " whi(d» jimvidos *' //irt/ //*«■ nV;//^ o/'/Af 
1,1 njtlt to !>•. stcrc in their pirsoits, homtcn.pajwrn ami r^Vc/*, 
shail not be vioiaicd,'' and " that no man nhall Ite deprived of 
life, fifurti/ or jtr'>ptrtt/, hut bij due pmrts.s of htwy 

Of Mr. Madison ihiy s-aid, "Ah Mr. Madison haM devlartd 
irur Itt Ml. Madison carry it on.^ • * • "JTtc Union has 
hi'ttt fon»f act lilt// If dissolved, and it isjull time that this part 
i>j thr disuniffd Stnfts should take rare of itself '' 

" Should thr KiigH.xb be at liberty to ."cnd all their armies 
and all their ships to Ainericn. and in one doy V>urn every city 
frMtn Maine to (ieorgin. your condescending rulers wuuld play 

• >?i their harp.s while they gaxed at the tremendous coidlagration. " 

< 'onservativcs,'' not inferior to Gov. Seymour, <leclaretl in tin- 
bi^li placj'.H of legislation, that the war (181'IV " was icui/td 
with the worst possible views, and t arried on in the worst 
possible manner, forming an union of weakness and wicked- 
ness which drJies,for o jKirollrl, thr anna/s (f the icorld." 

" A member of Congress from »)tir own State, of great ability, 
in a violent and declamatory speech, allegeil the strongest 

• liarges of gross mismanagement ancl incapacity against the ad- 
ministration, for disadvantageous contracts nuidc for some of the 
loans, wheri'by millions of dollars were lost to the nation.' 

General Jackson suspended the habeas corpus — imprisoned 
the judge that issued the great peace writ of freedom — imprison 
ed the State Legislature by a military guard, and hung men 
who gave aid and comfort to the enemy, although they had been 
actjuitted by a court martial. These same • conservatives' howlc<l 
and woiled o^er his violations of the Constitution, but all the 
while his name echoetl to the shouts of a grateful nation whirb 
his energy had preserved. 



8- 

To prevent mistakes, perhaps I ought to say, more emphati- 
cally, that these extracts are not from the speeches and docu- 
ments of the '' conservatives'" of to-day. as you might suppose 
from the similarity ; they are the utterances of the conservative 
federalists of about fifty years ago, when they also sought to em- 
barrass the administration and divide the Union. 

I might keep you an hour witli these elegant extracts from 
the harangues and public documents of those conservatives who 
have been quieth^ 

■• Daniucil to e\-erl;i.-tiiig fame." 

While the radicals of those days (they Avere called by the fa- 
miliar name of radicals then as now), every where Resolved, 
" Relying on the wisdom and firmness of the general Govern- 
ment in this behalf, we feci no hesitation to pledge our lives and 
properties in support of the measures Avhich may be adopted to 
vindicate the public rights and redress the public wrongs," 
" whatever may be the sacrifice on our part." 

This was just before and during the last war Avith Great 
Britain. And, gentlemen, what is our present Avar but a Avar 
Avith Great Britain ? 

The worst enemies avc have noAV to fear are the rump of the 
democratic party and Britisli GoJd^ giving aid and comfort to 
rebellion and treason. 

Where do the rebels get their encouragement and hope ? In 
a divided North — divided by that portion of the Democratic 
party who seek for office and poAver at the expense of the Gov- 
ernment in its struggle for existence. 

Who say this Government ought to be broken up, and not 
allowed to become too poAverfnl ? The British aristocracy. 

Where do the rebels get their sincAvs of Avar in their murder- 
ous and bloody treason ? In British Gold. \Vhere do they get 
then- arms and munitions of Avar ? British Gold. Whence 
their ships of Avar ? British Gold. Where are there now build- 
ing for them iron clad Avar steamers, of the greatest poAver and 
speed, to destroy, not to capture our ships — to light up the 
midnight ocean Avith the 1)laze of the peaceable vehicles of com- 
merce — Where are they now building ? In the Clyde a number, 
in the Tync a numl)er, in the Mersey a number, in the Thames 
a numljer. What pays for them? British Gold. — Where do 



ihcy rcinkv.v»»u- British port of Nassau, that ilicv may 

oonveuienlly reach the rehcl ports; ami wlien wc complain, who 
is it that answers us In the insulting question, ''Why don't 
you catch tlieni / " it is Karl Kussell, a British minister - a 
British peer — a British memlwr of the House of Ix>r(ls. 

An'l why tlon'i we catch them ? Because, when we send » 

cruiser to look out f<'>" tin r.> -lie is lin.'./cd ]>\- -.i nrili«-li iiKiii-of- 

war of superior forci- 

And what says the Kump <.t the Dtiiioti;nic paily / It dis- 
;;raccs the name, ami the history, and the traditions of that threat 
and patriotic and betrayed party, by cryinj; Peace, Peace, when 
there is no pence, and can 1)C no i)eace, and ought to he no 
|>cace. while bloody treason flouri.shes over a large portion of our 
glorious hcrita;:e, and finds its sup|)ort in British gold, and its 
ap'dogy in party harangues in the loyal North. 

But what is the peace which they proj>ose .' ' This war nmst 
8top." " This war must st(»p now, ' is their cry. This is the 
peace they desire -an innnediate submission, or an affectionate 
parting with "waywanl sisters."' Now what terms are we to 
expect as the result of such cowardly submission. These terms 
have been often announced in the rebel papers. I'ayment of all 
their hisses by the war which incbidcs all the negroes lost -a 
year's crop of cotton, tobacco and rice — and the assumption of 
the Confederate debt, the last printed estimate of which is 56?i 
millions, — the grand - itf being not less than a thousand 

millions, with the c:i indefinite extension by the spring- 

ing up of new claims — with Constitutional guarantees of a 
Southern Veto which shall secure to the slave jiower unrestricted 
dominion forever. Are the holders of the jtublic ilebt ready for 
a reduction of their property by this new partnership in the debts 
of a rotten concern .' Is the old Democratic party ready to put 
on this yoke, and step into these traces. un<ler the drivers who 
betrayed them and defeated the lamented Douglas only two years 
agof Is it really to chain itself to the '"body of this death?" 
Are the friemlsof our national honor prej)ared for this humilia- 
tion .' Are the friends of the old flag willing to see it hereafter 
droop in history under the flaunting stars and )»ars .' If not 
then do not permit us to be ruined by the selfisii schemes of our 
enemies, which pro)vtse to divide the North, or the equally dan- 
gerous schemes of pretended friends, pusiied forwarrl by the ad 



() 



vcrsary, who, at the coming election, insist upon distracting the 
Union forces — determined to ruin if they cannot rule. Patriotic 
friends of the government, of all parties, " United we stand, 
divided we fall." 

Cheer after cheer followed the delivery of this address, and 
then in response to numerous calls. Charles A. Dana. Esq., 
addressed the assembly as follows : 

SPEECH OF CHARLES A. DANA, Esq. 

I am very glad to respond to this call and to re-echo the name 
of Mr. Conkling as the candidate for Congress from this district. 
The Convention which has nominated him has done its duty, 
and now it is our duty to take hold with all our might, and sec 
that he is returned by a handsome majority. The reasons why 
Mr. Conkling ought to be elected are, that in the first place, 
he has been faithful to his obligations as our Representative. 
The day has not dawned since he has been a member of Con- 
gress, Avhen Congress was in session, that he was not in his seat: 
on division of the House has found him missing ; no occasion 
has arisen when it has been necessary for him to give his vote 
in Congress in behalf of our interests and the interests of our 
common country, that he has not l)een there to give it. (Cheers) 
His votes, too, have always been right. He has never missed 
any occasion of sustaining with his earnest support, the mea- 
sures which the government has taken for the suppression of 
the rebellion and the restoration of the National Unity. (Cheers.) 
Other men have now and then been found wanting ; he never. 
Neither in his words nor in his action, have we seen any trace 
whatever of that modern heresy which meets with such favor 
among a certain class of politicians, that in some contingency, 
either of our victory or our defeat, this great struggle for our 
National life shall be abandoned, and that we shall make sub- 
mission to the rebels and give them all they Avant. Never has 
come from him any countenance for that most shameful, most 
dangerous of political heresies. (Cheers.) If there be here any 
man who wishes to send a representative to Washington, who 
in any emergency will consent that this country shall be 
divided — that a rebellion based upon slavery, and with slavery 



n 

:is Its uiiiv i-niHU-h' aii'i <.iii\ ui. ■ !.<.• allowcl to SUC- 

cccrl, I tell tiiin that lie must cli ■ utlior agent than 

Frcilerick A. <'onkling to do the work he desires to have vlone. 
For I will Ikoiiik" '»li|i;»ated for Mr. Conkliii;:, that so lonjj as 
he lives, thai i-h-.i ^hall not receive from him any toleration 
whatever; and I pleil^c him as a perpetual, as an unrelenting 
foe to all the advocate- and ^upp^>I•ters of that |Mdioy. (Cheers.) 
We know him — the ;;<»\crnment kn<>\vs him. the Uepuhlic knows 
him. He »tan«is to defeml the integrity of the Union, to pre- 
serve I.'" 'i'lus douiain «)f freedom. lie is con- 
stant, li< - intrepid. Ia>i us then unite with nil 
our hearts, and return him to that station where he liaB provc<l 
himself So u.irthy a Uepresrntative of ilu- people. (Cheers.) 

Fellow citiz'.iiS, there can be no third parly in such a contest 
as this. He who is against the government cannot pretend to 
he for it. There is no third aliernntive. Tiet those who wish 
to disintegrate, to destroy this Kcpuhlic, give their votes to 
whomsoever the Seymour party may place in nomination. But 
for the counlry's sake, for the sake of all our patriotic hopes, let 
no man who calls himself a frienil of the honored constitution 
of our fathers, let no man who calls himself a friend of the great 
principles of progress and pipular government, be found any 
where except in the ranks of tl- -•• "^- » support this gallant and 
tried soldier of Republican fr< 1 1' you have .•sympathies 

and affeclion for traitors, you know where to go to express 
thcnj, and what ticket will represent your ideas. But if you 
are indeed devoted to the cause (»f the country, I adjure you not 
to allow any personal and private feeling to separate you from 
us, but to come up to the .support of the can<lidate whom the great 
majority of the I'nion men of the district have selected as their 
standard bearer at this election. (Cheers.) Let none of us, for 
any rea> m. ;:ive aid and comfort to the enemy, and [et us sec to 
it thai whi II the sun sets on election <lay, it shall set over the 
assured triumph of a representative of the Union, the Constitu- 
tion, and the Knforcement of the 1a\\>. (F/^iiid cheerinL'.) 



SPEECH OF HON. ISAAC DAYTON. 

AldeniKui Dayton was the next speaker, and was received 
with applause. He referred to those who professed to be sup- 
porters of the Administration, l)ut who had put up a candidate 
in hostility to this nomination. What did those men want.' 
Did they want a man of talent, of eloquence ; did they want a 
true gentleman as their chief, who was true and faithful to 
himself, his constituents and his country 1 If so, where was the 
man who could claim a pre-eminence over Frederick A. Conkling? 
He would be sent back. What friend of liberty, what friend 
of the Union, what voter who supported the Constitution and 
the Laws, would not stand by him who had stood by the gov- 
ernment and in the most practical of ways say, " Well done, 
good and faithful servant." [It is much regretted that through 
an inadvertance, the speech of Aldernian Dayton was not fully 
reported, as it was able, eloquent and pertinent to the occasion.] 

SPEECH OF HENRY W. SMITH. Esq. 

Henry W, Smith, Esq., was next called for. In response he 
said : 

A portion of the citizens of the Ninth and Fifteenth Wards a 
few years since wanted to select a candidate for member of 
Assembly, and chose Frederick A. Conkling. He performed 
the duties of that office, and returned to this city, and his friends 
could say for him, that in all the corruption that was charged 
upon that Legislature, no man ventured to say one word, no 
man ventured to lisp that Frederick A. Conkling had been 
guilty of corruption or had soiled his hands with bribes. Since 
then he has been elected to Congress. By the change made 
in districting the State anew the citizens of the Ninth Ward 
find that he is in their district, and Avere so well satisfied with 
his past course as our member of the Legislature and with his 
subsequent record in Congress, that with one heart and one 
mind we have called him to represent us in Congress ; and for 
his faithful services we have to-night nominated him for re- 
election. But now our work is but just begun. For you may 
be assui-ed we have no easy business before us, it is no child's 
play. But if we toil as the men of the Ninth Ward and the 



18 

Sixteenth Wanl an- uccustoiiicd l<t toil, when the sun set.-* on 
the fourth of November, we shall scml a sterlin;; Kepubliean 
unil honest mnn to reprcsejit us in the ron;;rcss of the Uniteil 
States. (Cheers.) 

I^t us remember that in his eour«e a.i member of Congress 
no one of us ean lay to his ehar^re that an a<Mitionnl bunien has 
been cast ujmn us by his vote. He has lieeii there, as he was 
in the Ix'gislature, thoroughly incorruptible. lie has not only 
been this, but he has aflvoo:ite<l every n»easure, no matter bv 
whom brought fi>rwanl. that would prevent the people's money 
from being S4|uandere«l. He has heen fearless antl tireless in 
this respect. No matter whether he was a Kcpuhlican nr 
whether he was a Democrat who brought forward any corrupt 
scheme or any needless expense, he regarded it alike, and voted 
.steadily against any waste of the money of the people at this 
time of the country's need. 

We have nominated such n man for Congress. Ii i> for you 
to determine whether he shall be elected or not. lJ|x)n the 
greater and graver issues of the time, I shall say nothing. I 
oidy say this, that if when thi.s election is passe<l. we shall be 
ubh- to say we have performe«l our part ns citizens, a.s well as 
our nominee has performed his part as a member of the Legisla- 
ture, and as a mendter of Congress, (cheers,^ Frederick A. 
Conkling is certain to l»e elected to represent this District in 
the next t'ongre- 

l».i\id K .l:i'|U<;, Ksi|.. being (Mlb-d upon, (inne fuiwanl 
amid applause. :ind said : 

Kellow Citizens: — I have never been more taken by surprise 
111 mv life than by this sudden call to address you. I have been 
drinking in the eUxjuent words of my friend, Mr. Conkling. and 
the burning appe.ils which have been addressed fn you by the 
other speakers, all beariuir testimony to tiie claims and to the 
demands which Mr. ConkliiiL' ciin mnkf ii|><>n ns fur our support 
at this time. 

<Tentleiiicn. I have seen .sonntiiing ">t the career ut the candi- 
date who has been presented to you to night. I have .seen him 
in the licislature at Albany, and 1 can bear testimony person- 



14 

ally to the iiKlustry. the eloqucuco and the ability which he 
uutiiifested in the dischar<^e of his duties as a Legislator there. 
lie has been transferred to a larger, a Avider, a more important 
sphere. You know, T know. Ave all know, the ability with Avliicli 
he has performed the duties of a Representative at this the most 
critical, the most momentous period in the history of the country. 

Now, gentlemen, let me say a word in regard to the solemn 
duties which are incumbent upon every citizen of this city, of 
this district, of this Ward, at the present time. We speak of 
the Revolutionary period as of a time that tried men's souls : as 
of a period calling for the greatest qualities of mind and heart 
that man can possess. Gentlemen, from the bottom of my heart, 
and uttering what I consider a solemn conviction of my under- 
standing, I say to you that I believe the Revolutionary period, 
in the demands it made upon the integrity, the firmness of pur- 
pose, and the clearness of vision of the men of that day, is as 
nothing in comparison with the demands which this period 
makes upon the men of this generation. (Cheers.) Our fathers 
had then to contend against a foreign enemy. They had merely 
to defend themselves against the attacks of a foreign foe upon 
their domestic liberty. Now we have to contend with an evil 
which is eating out the very vitals of the nation's heart at home. 
Now Ave are contending for a national existence Avhich has lasted 
for sev^enty years — against the efforts of our oAvn brothers to 
destro}'^ our nationality. 

But Avhat do avc l)ehold in this city, in this district, Avithin a 
few hundred yards from this place 1 Those avIio arc proclaiming 
language like this— '-'Our Southern people, our 'Avay ward sis- 
ters' of the South, if they desire it, should be alloAved to go.'" 
Our Southern brethren ought to be alloAved at their pleasure to 
dissolve this Union, the Avork of our fathers, and destroy the 
Rcpuldic Avhieh is the hope of liberty throughout the Avorld. 
Our Southern brethren ! Avho have made drinking cups out of 
the skulls of Northern soldiers; our Southern brethren, who 
have made finger rings out of the bones of Northern heroes: our 
Southern brethren, Avho are seeking noAV to tear asunder the 
holiest 1)ond of Union that ever bound a people together — 
seekino- to dismember our Republic and to establish two Re- 
publics, Avhich the interests of foreign nations and the jealousies 



of Eur(»|H>uii aristocracy iimy ho gratified in keeping forever 
!isnn<1ci'. These are the Southern hrethren that IIoi-nti«t Sey 
niour ftn<l Mr. ^'an liurcn <lesire shall r»e allowc«l to have their 
own way, and those are the " wayward sisters" who are to he 
allowed ti» leave this I'nion if tlioy please. If go they imist, I 
«ay to thcin, <toI but you must not take with you an inch of 
that territory which our fathers purchase<l hy their hlood and 
treasure ^^'li-crs.^ Go! hut you mu.'*t not take a harl»or 
upon which :i Nurthern ship has ever floated ; nor a river u\>ou 
which a Northern steamer has ever plied : you must not take 
New Orleans, i»or Nfohile. nor (Jalvcston: they are ours — pur- 
••haijetl by our money and purchased by our bloo«l. ^^'heers.) 
Mr. Conklinp has been a true and faithful interpreter of 
• ideaj*. These are the ideas of the age — the ideas which 

; be sustained by this country, and by the men of this time, 

if they arc true to themselves ami their country. He has de- 
fende<l thest- ile.is bravely an<l well. He has lal>ored for them 
with that [doddini^ industry which, united with brilliant talents 
and with eloi|uenee, is the most admirable combination uhich 
can be presented for a representative of the people in Congress, 
lie combines the man of |.---i' •. eapaeiiy with the maii of 
business — and that is tin ition whioh we desire. A 

man who can attend to the every day affairs of his constituents. 
a man who can l<»ok after the material and commercial interest.-* 
of this eily. Sucli u man no have in him — sueh a uian we have 
found in him heretofore — such a man we shall find in him when 
he shall have been elected ai.'aiii ' ■ to represent this "reat 
mercantile constituency in th" ' -f tin? United States, 

Sl'KECH OF HON « Il.VHLKS S. SPENCER. 

In resi^mse to tirgent appeals from the assembly, Charles S. 
Spencer. Esq.. next made an aildress as follows : 

I am not, my friends, in very ;;ood comlition to address \ou. 
as I have been for the past hour addressing in the ^Vnth Ward 
some eight hundred of my fellow-citizens. You all very well 
know that the gentleman who has been nominated was not my 
ehoice. You all very well know that my choice rested ui)on 
another gentleman before the Convention which has "iven Mr. 
<'onkling the nomination. An<l Island here to-night, havin" 
opposed it might and main to the time it was maile, to pled^re 



every effort up to the time of election to support the nomination 
made and secure the return of Mr. Conkling to the Congress of 
the United States. (Cheers.) 

I have Avatched his course in Congress. I have been satisfied 
with his votes : they have always been upon the side of free- 
dom—he voted to abolish slavery in the District of Columbia- 
he voted to prohil)it slavery in the territories of the country- 
he voted for the confiscation bill ; and I am assured by those 
friends about him that he urged the glorious proclamation of 
emancipation. (Cheers.) And although I felt before the nom- 
ination that my own ward was entitled to it, I trust that the Six- 
teenth Ward will lead the van,, and give Mr. Conkling the 
largest majority at the election. xVnd if the ^Sixteenth WanI 
•loes this, why then, boys, you will remember ns next time. 
(Laughter and cheers.) 

^ I am happy to say that I believe the great masses of the 
Union men of this district will vote for him. There is but one 
question before the people of this district— either Mr. Conkling 
must I)e elected, or an opponent of the Administration, and Ave 
cannot afford in this day of peril, while the gidf of disunion is 
yawning at our feet, while the clouds black and heavy, are pass- 
ing above our heads, and Ave can hardly discern along the Avhole 
horizon a solitary star— Ave cannot afford while the Rebellion is • 
pressing upon us from the South and black-hearted treason is 
fighting us at the North— I say we cannot afford to peril the 
Country l)y jeoparding the election of a single Congressman. 
(Cheers.) 

The integrity of I\Ir. Conkling, his bitterest enemy never 
iiuestioned : his ability Ave all acknowledge ; avc all believe he 
will truly represent us ; and I must earnestly implore every 
elector of this district to throw aside all hard thoughts, all irl- 
significant personal feelings, all the petty offspring of primary- 
election s(juabbles, and remember only that Ave have a countrv 
to save, and that country can only be saved by the election of 
an Administration Congress. (Cheers.) 

The meeting adjourned, Avith repeated clieers. for Kredei'ick 
A. Conklino'. 

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